Isabel Wen is an emerging leader in entrepreneurship, innovation, and ecosystem development. As Growth Director, she supports early-stage tech startup founders, advisors, and ecosystem partners. Isabel has held leadership roles in startups, small businesses, and nonprofits in business management and operations. She leverages her extensive operational, strategic, and mentorship experience to drive commercialization efforts and support new founders. A former nanomaterials scientist, Isabel led R&D commercialization in life sciences. Isabel is passionate about building a regenerative economy that uplifts people and planet. She holds a BS in Chemistry from UC San Diego and a Next Economy MBA from Lift Economy.

Derese Getnet, PhD, D(ABMM): Derese trained at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and spent a decade in US Army leading multi-functional product development teams and has authored 35+ peer-reviewed publications. As Chief of Wound Infections Dept, at the rank of Major (O4) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Derese directed the execution and development of novel technologies to defeat combat wound infections throughout the continuum of care After transitioning to the Army Reserves from Active duty, Derese assumed the role of CEO at Simmbion, now Chariot Biosciences, that is pioneering symbiotic biology for a long-lasting therapeutic delivery of treatments.

David Tohn is the Chief Executive Officer at BTS Software Solutions (BTS) in Colombia, Maryland; Chairman of the Board of Directors for Steer™, LLC; Chairman of the Technology Board of the Maryland Technology Council, and sits the Boards of several Maryland organizations, including; TEDCO, the Technology Advancement Center, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, and Improving Education. David is a retired military officer with over 24 years of experience in military intelligence and strategic planning, and cyber operations, policy, and planning. His publications include authoring two books, several professional articles, and op-eds focusing on key geopolitical security, strategic intelligence, and cyber-security.

Kevin Anderson is Founder & CEO of Cardinal Atlantic Holdings, an economic and community development firm targeting scaled social impact and investment in urban centers. Anderson previously served as Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships at EVERFI, Inc., an educational software company for financial literacy and life skills education, and he was President and Chief Executive Officer of City First Homes, Inc. – a $6 million community land trust in the District of Columbia.

A native of Washington, D.C., Anderson graduated from Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA. He holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University.

Amita Shukla is passionate about unlocking human potential. She is the founder and CEO of Vitamita and the author of United Mind: Rethinking How We Lead Our Lives, Work Together, and Change Our World and Enduring Edge: Transforming How We Think, Create and Change. Amita has served as an advisor and speaker for diverse organizations. She teaches Personal Leadership Development at the NIH and has taught graduate leadership courses at Johns Hopkins. Earlier, she was a healthcare venture capital investor at New Enterprise Associates. Amita is TEDCO’s longest-serving board member. She holds a Harvard BA, Stanford MBA, and several patents.

Jasmine A. Clemons serves as the Board of Public Works Director for Maryland’s 34th Comptroller, Brooke E. Lierman. In that role, Jasmine supports the Comptroller’s responsibilities as one of three members of the Board of Public Works, whose functions include approving state contracts over $200,000 & controlling state procurement policy, alongside Governor Wes Moore & Treasurer Dereck Davis. Prior, Jasmine served as Chief of Policy and Recovery Impact for Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, Jr. leading Baltimore County’s administration of its $160 million American Rescue Plan Act COVID response funds.

As a former Presidential Management Fellow, Jasmine brings federal experience to state government after a decade in sales and management. Jasmine is a proud Baltimore City transplant that enjoys exploring new restaurants throughout the region.

Ernesto Chanona is an accomplished executive leader with extensive expertise in regulatory affairs, economic development, strategic partnerships, and business growth. As Vice President at CSSi LifeSciences, he played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s global footprint, particularly by establishing a regional office in Asia. Additionally, Ernesto has made notable contributions to policy development, serving as the Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs, where he advises on policies that foster inclusivity and socio-economic growth for underserved communities. He holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of North Carolina and serves as an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater, the Johns Hopkins University.

Greg is a cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of broad IT and security experience. He is currently the State CISO for the State of Maryland, where he oversees cybersecurity for the Executive Branch and provides support to other state entities and local governments. He spent the first 15 years of his career as an information security contractor in the Dept. of Defense and more recently served 6 years as the CISO of a US financial services company. Greg also serves as Vice Chair of the Cyber Maryland Program Board of Directors and on the UMGC CIT Advisory Board.

Rachel is responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing all operational activities for JLABS @ Washington, DC. Her responsibilities include P&L management, external engagement, innovation sourcing, portfolio management, and operational excellence in collaboration with the team responsible for the site and the region. In addition to managing the business of JLABS, Rachel is responsible for the process of evaluating, selecting and accelerating a strong portfolio of innovators connected to JLABS @ Washington, DC, which supports companies across the broader region.

In founding Allegis, Bob’s mission was to build a seed and early-stage venture firm that would combine operational experience with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on forging true partnerships with portfolio companies to build successful and sustainable cybertechnology companies. Bob has been recognized as a Fortune 100 cybersecurity executive and also as one of “CyberSecurity’s Money Men”.

Maaike Everts, PhD, is Executive Director of Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator. Prior to C-Path, she had a leadership role with Parenteral Drug Delivery Solutions at Evonik Health Care. Before joining Evonik, Maaike was a full professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She had been at UAB since 2002, initially as a postdoctoral scholar in its Gene Therapy Center. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacokinetics and Drug Delivery from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Kobby is the founder & CEO of Pirl Technology, a startup developing next-generation electric vehicle charging products. He’s the executive director of the Osei Kusi Foundation, a nonprofit providing educational assistance to disabled students in Africa, and serves on the Maryland Clean Energy Center Advisory Council. Before founding Pirl, he developed power plants at the AES Corporation, and before AES, he was an investment banker at Credit Suisse. He holds a BA in Economics from St. Lawrence University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He enjoys writing.

With over 20 years of leadership experience at early-stage venture-backed companies, Maurice has developed a unique set of skills and instincts that he now enjoys using to help founders build their ventures faster. He invests in and co-builds startups at DataTribe, a cybersecurity startup foundry, where he serves as the Chief Customer Officer. He also serves on the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship advisory board at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and UM Ventures’ Maryland Momentum Fund. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike Ravenscroft is the Managing Director of the University System of Maryland Momentum Fund, USM’s $16M seed stage venture capital fund. Mike manages investments, fund administration, and portfolio operations for the fund. In addition, he manages operations for the USM Venture Fellows Program and serves on the boards of the Maryland Launch Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund, and the Maryland Community Investment Venture Fund. Mike holds an MBA from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business and a BA from the University of Michigan.

Robbin leads UpSurge’s local, regional, and national collaborations and programs to foster greater participation in Baltimore’s tech ecosystem. Robbin has been mobilizing people her entire career, producing hundreds of events and partnerships for organizations in both Baltimore & DC such as Capitol Riverfront BID and Baltimore Homecoming (BHC). Robbin served as the executive director of BHC where she mobilized a network of Baltimoreans across the world to invest in Baltimore City. Robbin is also a founding member of the Baltimore Chapter of NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals), a Thread volunteer, and an advisor to local Baltimore startups.